Somali concert aims to make connections in St. Cloud

St. Cloud's Anab Dahir and Fawzia Mohamed are throwing a party Saturday and everyone is invited.

The duo has organized the inaugural Somali Cultural Concert Night at St. Cloud's Whitney Senior Center in hopes of fostering understanding between St. Cloud-area Somalis and the rest of the community.

"We want the St. Cloud people to understand the Somali people. To meet each other and learn about each other," Dahir said. "We want them to understand what kind of music we play, what kind of food we eat, what kind of clothes we wear and why."

Dahir said the proceeds from the event will go toward funding a space for the Somali Women Organization, which aims to educate and assist Somali women in St. Cloud and the surrounding areas.

More than 100 people are expected to attend the event, which will feature live music, art, games, an informational session and dinner.

Mohamed, who's lived in St. Cloud more than 10 years, also works with the organization. She said the event is something that she'd never have expected to see back when she first moved to the city. The fact that that it's happening shows just how much the area has changed, she said.

"The community is progressing. We want to make it so we're all under one umbrella," she said.

Dahir said she hopes the event is just the beginning of a long-standing dialogue between community members.